Cutting board
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cutting boards with radial handles or hanging structures face issues with storage space, visibility of handle orientation, and ergonomic user interaction, particularly during transport and storage, as they often obscure handles when stacked or hung, leading to increased wrist strain and potential contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
A cutting board with a T-shaped handle offset from the orthogonal axis, featuring two grip sites separated by a stem that aligns with the center of gravity, allowing for easy orientation and secure handling from multiple directions, and a design that keeps handles accessible even when stacked or hung, reducing storage complexity and ergonomic strain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a radial handle extends outward from the cutting surface, then the user can grip the handle during transport, but the cutting board occupies greater counter space and requires more storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is repositioned from a radial extension on the cutting surface to the lateral edge of the board, utilizing the perimeter dimension. This allows the handle to be accessible from the side rather than requiring radial space from the cutting surface, reducing the footprint while maintaining grip accessibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a cutout or recess is formed through the cutting board to create a handle, then the cutting board can be hung for storage, but adjacent cutting boards obscure the handle structure when stacked or hung
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is positioned asymmetrically at the lateral edge rather than centered or radially positioned. This asymmetric placement ensures that when multiple boards are stacked or hung, the handles remain laterally exposed and visible, unlike symmetric or radial positions that would be obscured by adjacent boards.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral edge position acts as an intermediary location that is accessible to external space while being structurally integrated into the board. This position allows the handle to serve as both a functional grip point and a visible indicator without being obscured by the board's own mass or adjacent boards.
3Area of stationary object
If the handle is positioned radially inboard of the exterior footprint, then the footprint is reduced, but the handle becomes less accessible and harder to grip during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The handle position is optimized to be at the lateral edge, which is the maximum extent of the footprint in that dimension. This dynamic positioning allows the handle to be as far out as possible for accessibility while still being integrated into the board's overall footprint, maximizing grip accessibility without unnecessarily increasing the board's storage footprint.
Data Source
AI summary
A cutting board defined by a body and includes a handle that is offset from the orthogonal axis of the body. The handle has a generally T-shape and includes a first grip site and a second grip site that are separated from one another by a stem defined by the body of the cutting board. The first and second grip sites are associated with dissimilar and preferably adjacent sides of the body. The handle is oriented such that, when vertically suspended from the handle via interaction with the first and second grip sites, the stem defined by the body extends along an axis that is coincident with the center of gravity of the cutting board.